With a 15-barrel brewhouse occupying 6,600 sq. ft. in Tampa’s Carver City-Lincoln Gardens neighborhood, Cigar City Brewing aims to build “a specific flavor profile reminiscent of the foods and fauna of Florida,” in the company’s own words. “This might mean brewing with guava, aging beer on cigar box cedar or merely incorporating hops into our Jai Alai IPA redolent with the kinds of tropical fruit aromatics that one associates with Florida.” Cigar City Brewing also strives to use local ingredients whenever possible, resulting in a line of offerings that includes a Humidor Series aged on Spanish cedar, Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale and Guava Grove Farmhouse Ale, to name just a few examples. The company also runs a local tasting room.

It appears that Cigar City Brewing has come up with yet another innovative and distinctive twist on an ages-old beverage. Brew-minded entrepreneurs: what local influences could your brand tap to set itself apart?